Marsh Wars (Pacifica)

Marsh Wars
(clockwise) Stoinian troops crossing the Varcathian Mountains Stoinian trenches at the Battle of Nagena Ezervulgish artillery at the Battle of Sariego Stoinian entry in Sárkanyvölgy Ezervulgish trenches at the Battle of Turino Field Marshal Mákkeszőr at the Crossing of the Narcea
Date 5 September 1914 - 13 November 1918 Location Stoinia & Ezervulge, Bailtem Result First Marsh War: White peace Treaty of Cudillero Second Marsh War: Stoinian victory Displacement of 180,000 Ezervulgish Treaty of Kétvár
Main belligerents
Stoinia	Ezervulge
Commanders and leaders
Alexandru VIII Field Marshal Sergiu Vernescu General Jorge Aranda General Ramiro De Sarro General Constantin Preda	George II Gyorgy II Field Marshal Mákkeszőr Ámbrus General Horváth László General Szilágyi Dénes
Strength
1,580,000	1,260,000
Casualties and losses
387,000 killed 480,000 wounded	396,000 killed 420,000 wounded

The Marsh Wars (Castonish: Guerras de las Marismas; Ezervulgish: Mocsarak háborúi) were a series of conflicts in the early 20th century as a result of a decade of crumbling Stoino-Ezervulgish relations. Open hostilities began on 5 September 1914 and would be marked by both swithering and static frontlines until 13 November 1918. The war would be named after the formation of marshes due to extreme weather conditions elevated through trench warfare. The conflict was one of Pacifica's first wars with the widespread use of trenches, chemical weapons, tank warfare and modern infantry tactics. The Marsh Wars would go down in history as one of the most innovative wars as well as one with the highest casualties due to disease. Ultimately, Stoinia would come out on top with the capture of Sárkanyvölgy and sue for peace in the controversial Treaty of Kétvár which saw the displacement of 180,000 of the Ezervulgish minority in Stoinia, war reparations and eventual social issues within Ezervulge.

Background

Both Stoinia and Ezervulge had become industrialised societies following the industrial revolution. Although a significant discrepancy was present due to Ezervulge losing a large portion of its industrial power after Peter I's War, the nation was slowly catching up again to western maritime powers such as Stoinia and Sedunn with the support of the Austral Empire. It was in this spirit of catching up that the Ezervulgish King George II, upon his ascension in 1906, sought a policy of pan-Ezervulgism which brought it head-to-head with Stoinia which housed some 300,000 Ezervulgish in the Loreto, Corrientes and Váceres provinces since the Hunyars' Sacking of Tolosa. King George II wished to establish a dominant Bailtemmic nation with all Ezervulgish people under one rule. These border provinces, in addition to hosting Ezervulgish minorities, were rich in coal and steel mines which would help fuel the further industrialisation of Ezervulge. Furthermore, in 1911 large deposits of gold were found in the Stoinian Corrientes province which could spearhead Ezervulge's global economic trade power. It was hoped that their incorporation would resurge Ezervulge as a Bailtemmic power since the defeat in Peter I's War as well as serve as a long-term economic investment to consolidate Ezervulgish prosperity, which in turn would again strengthen the position of the Ezervulgish King.

Stoinia was focusing on its overseas territories through industrial development programs. Especially Shai Kong's harbour expansion had become a priority against Paeonisian and Izaakian competition as Stoinia wished to maintain its role in global trade. Recently, Shai Kong had become overcrowded and the lack of infrastructure had made Hai Men Island a preferable choice over Shai Kong. This required government intervention overseas to fully develop Corinian industries so that they may operate autonomously. In addition, citizens overseas had grown their own identities which had caused incidents of rebellion. As such, Prime Minister Tiberiu Stolojan frequently voyaged to Corinia and Carraca to oversee the industrialisation of the overseas territories. This would however invite Ezervulgish opportunism.

Stoino-Ezervulgish relations would start to deteriorate from late 1906 as Ezervulgish Ambassadors would become increasingly volatile and propagate stories of how Ezervulgish in Stoinia are abused by Stoinian governance. Later studies would show that Ezervulgish marginalisation happened due to significant language barriers in local administrations. Nonetheless, the Ezervulgish rhetoric only grew more zealous over the years until it reached a breaking point on 5 September 1914 when Ezervulge formally declared war with the intent to liberate the Ezervulgish minority in Stoinia.

Strategy

Stoinia

Generals Constantin Preda, Gheorghe Butoiu, Piero Casardi, Egídio Varejão & Gheorghe Măcărescu during a military parade in 1909.

Line infantry had largely remained the main doctrine of the Stoinian Royal Army, which had been cemented by the Elbonian Wars. However, the military staff was in an era of rejuvenation in the latter half of the 19th century. Under the New College (Castonish: Nuevo Colegio), young officers brought a wind of change through pressure to modernise infantry tactics under the guidance of the rising General Jorge Aranda. Nonetheless, the Stoinian government from 1880 to 1910 had primarily focused on modernising the Stoinian Royal Navy which consequently brought forms of stagnation to the Royal Army. Stoinian military staff was known for tense relations between the naval & army branches as well as for internal tension within the Royal Army staff.

The Stoinian military-industrial complex would however continue to revolutionise military equipment such as machine guns, helmets and artillery cannons. The New College would be spread over the issues where to focus new Stoinian Royal Army doctrine by the means of new equipment. Military theorists formulated strategies utilising prototype aircraft as well as train-mounted artillery. During this period, not one doctrine was dominant as the military leadership was spread on the various strategies. Instead, the military staff encouraged officers to take the initiative and experiment in military exercises.
This was only strengthened through Stoinian officers partaking in joint military exercises with other nations such as Sedunn and rising naval powers like Karnetvor and Techganet. At the start of the 20th century, Stoino-Ezervulgish relations were still amicable and officers such as Major-General Ramiro De Sarro and General Mákkeszőr Ámbrus engaged in bilateral training exercises incorporating tactics to test out new military equipment. Ezervulgish prototypes had gained the interest of Stoinian military staff and Major-General Ramiro De Sarro was sent to evaluate the merits. However, political forces had pressured to prioritise naval investments over equipment modernisation.

The Stoinian military at the time largely comprised volunteers and was slowly becoming more and more professionalised. It primarily served as a way for aristocratic families to serve the Kingdom, but recent liberalisation policies opened up leadership positions to soldiers from the ranks. This brought a new wave in the military leadership who largely joined the New College's beliefs to modernise the institution. Even though social stigmas were present, the Stoinian Royal Army would continue to pursue a course towards liberalisation and innovation.

Ezervulge — Szilágyi-plan

The Szilágyi-plan stipulated by General Szilágyi Dénes

Ezervulgish military staff had focused on modernising its equipment and subsequently its tactics. Various prototypes of planes, tanks, guns and logistical equipment had been fueled by the scarcity of resources in Ezervulge. Having received some industrial support from Austra, the Ezervulgish continued to develop new weapons despite the technological discrepancy when compared to Sedunn and Stoinia. The technological innovation made by the Ezervulgish military-industrial complex from 1901 to 1905 had garnered the attention of Stoinian prospects under the mission of Major-General Ramiro De Sarro in the 1904 Stoino-Ezervulgish military conference. General Mákkeszőr Ámbrus especially had become a rising military strategist and theorist by modernising Ezervulgish war doctrines. Despite the amicable Stoino-Ezervulgish relations and the friendship between General Mákkeszőr and Major-General De Sarro, Stoino-Ezervulgish relations would crumble following the new policies since King George II's ascension.

Ezervulgish doctrine heavily emphasised the use of cavalry with the Hunyászok establishing themselves as elite cavalrymen in prior conflicts with Myria. Ezervulgish horses remained among the most prized in Bailtem and their genetic predisposition to fast acceleration and agility meant they had a natural advantage over other cavalries. General Mákkeszőr would also spearhead the use of semi-automatic pistols within the Hunyászok to maximise their effectiveness in cutting through dispersed enemy troops. Typically, the Ezervulgish commanders would barrage the enemy with mobile artillery and shortly after send in the cavalry to finish the job as their form of shock and awe strategy. It was said that the Hunyászok's wore iron braids to signal their arrival over their galloping horses and serve as psychological warfare alongside the skulls on their kucsma headdresses.

Ezervulgish military staff lead by Field Marshal Mákkeszőr (centre-left) with King George II (centre-right) formulating the Szilágyi-plan at a military conference in Sárkanyvölgy, September 1913.

The Ezervulgish military-industrial complex would also come up with new ways to modernise warfare through primitive tanks (Ezervulgish: viharszekér) and chemical warfare through the weaponization of mustard and chlorine gas. These new tools of war would come to their full fruition during the Marsh Wars in an attempt to break the trench formations. In spite of weaker Ezervulgish industrial capabilities, they continued to innovate weapons to level out the playing field.

In 1913, King George II would hold a military conference to stipulate a working strategy to conquer the Stoinian provinces which housed Ezervulgish minorities in Loreto, Corrientes and Váceres as well as the industrial infrastructure in Mérida and Castellón. Certain plans stipulate the complete annexation of Castonia and gain access to the South Pacific Ocean bypassing Sedunn's control of the Strait of Saint Michael, but it became clear that such an extensive military operation would provoke future revanchism which Ezervulge likely couldn't hold back. As such a compromise was struck by General Szilágyi Dénes to capture Stoinian territory with Ezervulgish minorities up to the Narcea river at the industrial centre of Carreño. The main strategy to accomplish such a task would be the usage of train-mounted artillery which would systematically be captured by superior Ezervulgish cavalry. A strategy of alternating bombardment and precise slashing was believed to bring a swift Ezervulgish victory as no passages in the Varcathian mountains large enough to host armies were known to Ezervulgish military command.

Events

First Marsh War

Villámló Ló offensive

• Villámló Ló offensive
• 

  A portrait of Field Marshal Mákkeszőr Ámbrus in Hunyászok uniform in 1914.

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  Ezervulgish Hunyászok in Noreña, November 1914.

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  Field Marshal Mákkeszőr Ámbrus at the Crossing of the Narcea, following the Battle of Carreño.

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  Field Marshal Mákkeszőr Ámbrus inspecting his troops in Carreño.

Stoinian counter-offensive & Flooding of the Ebro

• Flooding of the Ebro
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  Flooding in Loreto following the building of the dyke in Sariego.

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  Mudded Ezervulgish trench following the flooding of the Ebro.

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  Ezervulgish lines east of Noreña in 1915.

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  14th Ezervulgish Artillery Battalion stuck near the Cudillero front in 1915.

Second Marsh War

Second Ezervulgish invasion & stalemate

• Summer War
• 

  The 87th Regiment in watered-down trenches during the Second Battle of Nagena.

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  Stoinian Toro II tank escorted by a platoon at the Battle of X.

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  Stoinian soldiers of the 56th Regiment wearing newly issued gas masks for protection against gas attacks.

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  Ezervulgish Viharszekér II tank unloaded for the Second Battle of Nagena.

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  Stoinian Royal 3rd Army marching through Varcathian mountain passes to flank Ezervulgish lines.

Caballo Salvaje offensive

• Caballo Salvaje offensive
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  Stoinian 4th Army during the initial phase of the Caballo Salvaje offensive.

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  Stoinian Toro II tanks advancing into Ezervulgish fields.

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  Stoinian 7th Cavalry Regiment in Sárkanyvölgy.

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  King Alexandru VIII inspecting troops in Sárkanyvölgy.

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  Stoinian troops of the Royal 3rd Army feeding Ezervulgish citizens.